It Hurts to Be In Love
by Erin T. Aardvark
Summary: Jellystone's Arts and Crafts supervisor, Robyn Olsen, has a crush on Ranger Smith. Inspired by DollGirl on DeviantArt. Oneshot.


_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I got this idea while reading some Yogi Bear fanfic written by DollGirl on DeviantArt. It inspired this Oneshot story, which is in a bit of an Alternate Universe than my other stories. Now, for the fun stuff. Yogi, Boo-Boo, and Ranger Smith belong to Hanna-Barbera. Robyn Olsen belongs to me, and Karen Hatfield belongs to DollGirl. The story, BTW, shares the title with a song I like by Gene Pitney.

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It was a beautiful day in Jellystone Park. Ranger Smith was driving his Jeep around, when he came to an area the park had designated for arts and crafts activities. The ranger in charge of it was Robyn Olsen, a young, freckle-faced strawberry blond, who was very good with children. She was the seventh of eight children, so she had a lot of practice with her several nieces and nephews.

Robyn loved the outdoors, and she loved roughing it. She could pitch a tent faster than any of her brothers, and she could throw a wicked spitball. She knew a ton of birdcalls, and was an expert swimmer. She was champion of her high school swimming team, and she had the gold medal she won hanging on the wall of her cabin. And she absolutely adored bears. They were her favorite animal. She had always wanted one as a pet, but she knew that was against the law.

At the moment, Robyn was squirting various colors of paint onto styrofoam trays, and passing them out to the kids.

"Good morning, Robyn," Ranger Smith said, coming up. "How's it going with the kids?"

"Fine, sir," Robyn said. "We're just going to be doing a little finger painting today."

"Hope it doesn't get too messy."

"Don't worry, sir, I'll clean up everything when we're finished."

"I'm not worried about messes the kids make. I'm worried about messes Yogi might make if he comes by."

"I'll keep my eyes open, sir."

And with that, Ranger Smith left. Robyn went back to the arts and crafts project. As she was doing that, Yogi and Boo-Boo were watching.

"How do you like that, Boo-Boo?" Yogi said. "That female type ranger lady making those same goo-goo eyes at Mr. Ranger that Cindy makes at me."

"I think Ranger Robyn likes Ranger Smith," Boo-Boo said.

"But it's oblivious that Ranger Smith doesn't realize this."

And with that, Yogi left the area. Boo-Boo staid behind, and watched the kids finger paint. When the kids left, Boo-Boo walked over to the table.

"Hi, Ranger Robyn," he said. That's what everyone called her. She insisted. Robyn hated to be called "Ranger Olsen," or even "Miss Olsen." She didn't particularly care for "Miss Robyn," either.

"Hi, Boo-Boo," Robyn said, smiling. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if I could finger paint for awhile, since the kids left."

"Hey, sure. Knock yourself out. But try not to make _too_ much of a mess, okay?"

"Okay."

Robyn squirted some paint on a styrofoam tray, and handed it, and a piece of paper to Boo-Boo, and he began finger painting a portrait of Yogi. Robyn loved Boo-Boo. He was so adorable. Once Boo-Boo was finished, he helped Robyn clean up the arts and crafts table.

"Thanks for letting me finger paint," he said. "Bye!"

"See you around, Boo-Boo," Robyn said. Then she went to the ranger station to check in. Ranger Smith was at his desk, going over some paperwork. Before Robyn went inside, she straightened out her shirt and hat, and hoped there wasn't any paint on her jeans. She wanted to make a good impression on Ranger Smith. Boo-Boo had been right. She _did_ like him, but she couldn't tell him. She was too shy. Besides, she didn't think Ranger Smith would have any interest in her, because she didn't think she was pretty. She hated the way she looked. She thought her hair was stringy, and she felt her freckles made her look ugly.

Once she felt she was presentable, she walked into the station.

"Hello, Ranger Smith," she said. "Just coming to check in."

"All right," Ranger Smith said. "Oh, Robyn, I wanted to ask you. Do you have plans for tonight?"

"Tonight?" Robyn repeated. She felt as if her heart skipped a beat.

_Cool it, Olsen,_ she told herself. _Don't fall apart like a swooning teeny-bopper. Control yourself!_

"No, I'm not busy tonight," she said, calmly, though inwardly, she felt like she was falling apart. It looked as if Ranger Smith was asking her out.

"Great," he said. "Can you meet me here tonight at around six, then?"

"Here at the ranger station," Robyn repeated, trying not to show that she was nervous. "Six PM. No problem at all, sir."

"Okay, then. I'll see you at six."

"Six it is."

And with that, Robyn left the ranger station, feeling light as a feather. Once she was sure Ranger Smith was out of earshot, she let out an excited whoop, and jumped into the air.

"Yyyyyyessss!" she shouted. Then she raced for her little cabin to decide what to wear that night.

At about five forty-five, Robyn was ready. She was wearing a blue turtleneck underneath a dark pink jacket and matching skirt, and black flats. She took her compact mirror out of her purse, and checked herself in it.

"I wish I could get rid of these freckles," she said to herself. "Yeeeccchhh.

In any case, Robyn walked up to the ranger station, straightened out her skirt, and walked inside. Ranger Smith heard her come in, and looked up. His eyes nearly popped right out of his head.

"Robyn?!" he shouted, a little shocked. "You . . . . uhhh . . . . I mean . . . . you look . . . . different."

"Is that bad?" Robyn asked.

"No, no, no," Ranger Smith said, quickly. "I'm just so used to seeing you in jean and a T-shirt, that's all. You really look nice, though."

"Thank you, sir," Robyn said.

"Though I can't imagine what you're all dressed up for."

"Huh?"

Robyn gave Ranger Smith a weird look, and before he could say anything, someone came into the ranger station.

"Hi, John," a very pretty young woman with long brown hair and blue eyes said, coming in. "Sorry I'm late. I had a small last minute situation at the nurse's station."

"That's okay," Ranger Smith said. "Robyn, I'd like you to meet Karen Hatfield. She's the park nurse, and my girlfriend. Karen, this is Robyn Olsen. She's the arts and crafts supervisor."

"It's nice to meet you, Robyn," Karen said with a smile, and she extended her hand. Robyn forced a smile herself.

"Same here," she managed to say, shaking hands with Karen.

Robyn had an ability not found in most people. She was able to see a person on the inside as well as the outside. She could tell when a person was an absolute monster, or when they were a great person. And right away, she could tell Karen was not only pretty on the outside, but she was the same on the inside as well, maybe even more so. And she could tell she and Ranger Smith had a strong relationship.

"I meant to tell you earlier," Ranger Smith said. "But you left before I got the chance. Karen and I are going up to the lodge dinner, and I'd like you to hold down the fort, Robyn. You don't mind, do you?"

"Oh, no, sir," Robyn said. "I don't mind. Not at all. I mean . . . . hey, it's not like I had a date or . . . . something. It's not like I thought you were asking me out on a date."

"Is everything all right?" Karen asked.

"Everything's just fine," Robyn said, trying to keep herself from crying. "No problem at all. You two go on and have fun. I'll take care of things here."

And with that, Ranger Smith and Karen left the station. Robyn sat down behind Ranger Smith's desk, took out her compact mirror, and looked at herself in it.

"I knew it," she sighed. "I knew Ranger Smith would never go for someone like me. Why would he want me, anyway? Karen's ten times prettier than I am."

Robyn threw her mirror against the wall as hard as she could.

"Gene Pitney was right," she sighed. "It _does_ hurt to be in love."

Back at the Jellystone Lodge, Karen seemed to be a little preoccupied. She kept staring out the window. It had started to rain, and hard, but that's not what Karen was thinking about. She couldn't seem to get Robyn out of her head. She seemed so upset when she and Ranger Smith left, but she couldn't think of why.

"Are you okay, Karen?" Ranger Smith asked. "You keep looking out the window. That rain's really coming down, isn't it?"

"It is, but it's not the rain that's on my mind," Karen said. "It's Robyn. She seemed awfully upset when we left."

"I noticed that, too. I don't know why, though. I also don't know why she was all dressed up like that."

Karen thought about it, and then it hit her when she realized something Robyn had said.

_It's not like I thought you were asking me out on a date._

That's why Robyn was so upset! She thought, when Ranger Smith asked her to meet him at the ranger station at six, he was asking her out! She then realized that Robyn really, really, _really_ liked Ranger Smith, and when Karen had walked in, and Ranger Smith introduced her as his girlfriend, that had to have just about broken her heart. It was a terrible way to find out the person you were crushing on was spoken for. She told herself she would talk to Robyn about it first thing the next morning.

However, the first thing the next morning, Robyn came into the ranger station, and put her resignation on Ranger Smith's desk.

"What's this?" Ranger Smith asked.

"My resignation," Robyn said.

"Resignation? Why? What for?"

"It's nothing I can possibly explain, sir. You wouldn't understand."

"But Robyn, you're so good with the kids . . . . they really like you. And Boo-Boo is crazy about you!"

"I'm sorry, Ranger Smith, but I just have to leave Jellystone."

And with that, Robyn left the station. Five minutes after she left, Karen came in.

"John, have you seen Robyn?" she asked. "I need to talk to her."

"You just missed her," Ranger Smith said. "The weirdest thing just happened. She left her registration here."

"Oh boy," Karen said. "I'd better find her before she leaves the park!"

And with that, Karen ran out of the station, leaving Ranger Smith a bit bewildered.

"Sometimes, I wonder about women," he sighed, and went back to his paperwork.

Meanwhile, Yogi and Boo-Boo were walking along the riverbank, when they saw Robyn sitting there, staring at her reflection in the water, and it looked like she was crying.

"Look over there, Yogi," Boo-Boo said. "It's Ranger Robyn. Gee, she looks sad."

"Well then, little bear type buddy," Yogi said. "Let's go over and cheer her up. Leave it to ol' Yogi to turn that frown upside down!"

"Hi, Ranger Robyn," Boo-Boo said, as he and Yogi walked over to Robyn. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Robyn said.

"This isn't nothing," Yogi said. "Female type girls don't cry over nothing."

"Really, Yogi," Robyn sniffled. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm just taking one last look at the park. I left Ranger Smith my resignation."

"But why?" Boo-Boo asked. "Don't you like it here in Jellystone Park? And don't you like us? And Ranger Smith?"

"Oh, Boo-Boo," Robyn said, ruffling the cub's hair. "I love Jellystone. And I love you guys, too. Very much. And I _really_ like Ranger Smith, too. A _lot_. But . . . . well . . . . he just doesn't like _me._"

"Oh sure he does!" Yogi shouted. "He wouldn't have hired you if he didn't like you!"

"That's not what I meant, Yogi!" Robyn shouted. "He likes me as a co-worker. He doesn't like me as a girlfriend."

"Oh, I see," Boo-Boo said. "You like Ranger Smith like Cindy likes Yogi."

"Yeah," Robyn sighed. "I thought he had asked me out on a date last night, but it turned out he just wanted me to hold down the fort while he went out with his girlfriend. Do you two know her?"

"Yeah, we do," Yogi said. "She's a great person. I think you'd like her."

"I know," Robyn said. "I could tell right away. But I just looked at her, and saw how pretty she was . . . . and thought about how ugly I am. Who'd ever find a girl with stringy reddish blond hair and a face full of freckles pretty?"

"I think you're pretty," Boo-Boo said.

"Thanks for trying," Robyn said. "But I know you're only saying that to make me feel better. I'm not pretty, I never was pretty, and I never will be pretty."

"That's not true!" Karen shouted, coming over to the threesome. She heard the entire conversation, and she couldn't take staying silent any longer.

"Hi, Miss Karen," Boo-Boo said.

"Hello, Boo-Boo," Karen said. "Hello, Yogi. Would you two mind leaving us alone for a few minutes? Girl talk."

"Sure thing," Yogi said. "Come on, Boo-Boo."

"Please don't leave, Robyn," Boo-Boo said. "I don't want you to. I'll miss you too much."

"Come on, little bear type buddy," Yogi said. "Let's go visit some tourists, and their picanic baskets!"

"Don't get any bright ideas, Yogi!" Karen called after the two bears. Then she laughed. "I swear, being around Yogi is like being around a very tall, very furry child."

"Yeah," Robyn said, distantly. "Look, I know what you're going to say, so I'll save you the trouble. You're going to tell me that Ranger Smith is your boyfriend and not mine, and to keep away from him."

"No, I wasn't going to say that. You didn't know. I'm sorry you found out like this, though."

"I made a complete fool of myself. I thought he really wanted to go out with me."

"We all make mistakes. But there's no point in putting yourself down. You're a very pretty girl."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are! I may not know much about you yet, Robyn, but I can tell you're a good person. You love working here, so that must mean you love nature. You love the bears, so that means you love animals. And you spend time with the kids in the park, so that means you love children."

"Well . . . . yeah, that's true . . . . I guess."

"You know it's not what's on the outside that matters, but what's on the inside. And on the inside, you're as pretty as Snow White."

Robyn managed a smile, but then sighed. She stood up and faced Karen.

"Thanks for the talk," she said. "But I still don't think I'd be able to work here with Ranger Smith anymore."

And with that, Robyn started to get up and leave. Karen sighed. She hoped her little pep talk would make Robyn feel better, but clearly, she'd have to work a little harder. The problem was, she couldn't think of what to do.

As Robyn was packing her things, Ranger Smith and Karen were watching her.

"Are you sure there isn't anything we can do to convince you to stay?" Ranger Smith asked. "The kids are really going to missed you."

"I'm sure," Robyn said.

"I really hate to see you go, Robyn."

"Shoot, you won't even notice I'm gone!"

Before Ranger Smith could respond to that, Yogi came rushing in, in full scale panic.

"SOS! Assistance!" he yelled. "Nine-one-one!"

"Yogi, what's the matter?" Ranger Smith asked.

"Riverbank . . . . Boo-Boo . . . . he slipped . . . . fell in . . . . swept downstream . . . . can't swim!" Yogi shouted, breathlessly. Then he grabbed Ranger Smith by his shirt collar, and shook him. "DO SOMETHING!"

"Yogi, calm down!" Ranger Smith shouted. "We can't understand what you're saying!"

"I know what he's trying to say," Robyn said, suddenly. "And if I'm right, we have to hurry. Yogi, did Boo-Boo fall into the river?"

"Yes!" Yogi shouted. "And he's being swept downstream as we speak! You gotta do something Mr. Ranger, sir! My little bear type buddy can't swim!"

Without another word, Robyn raced out of the ranger station. The others followed behind her, until they reached the river. They saw Boo-Boo being carried down the stream, struggling to keep his head above the water.

"I'm going in!" Yogi shouted.

"No, Yogi!" Ranger Smith shouted, stopping him. "The current is moving too fast, and you don't swim very well, either. If any of us tries to go in, we'll get swept away along with the current as well!"

"What we need is a swimming expert," Karen said.

Without a word, Robyn threw off her ranger's hat, and kicked off her boots. Then she dove right into the water.

"What is she doing?!" Ranger Smith shouted.

"She's going after Boo-Boo," Karen said.

"Is she crazy?!" Yogi shouted. "The water's freezing!"

"I'd better get to the nurse's station and get some blankets," Karen said, and she ran back to the nurse's station. Yogi and Ranger Smith just watched as Robyn swam against the current, and over to Boo-Boo.

"Hang on, sweetie," she said, as she wrapped her arm around Boo-Boo. "I'll get you back to shore in no time!"

"She's got him!" Ranger Smith shouted, as Robyn began back to shore. She managed to climb back onto the bank, while holding Boo-Boo. Karen came back shortly afterwards with several blankets and towels, and began to wrap Boo-Boo in one of the blankets. Ranger Smith handed a towel to Robyn.

"Thanks," Robyn said, as she began to dry herself off.

"Are you all right, Boo-Boo?" Karen asked.

"Yes," Boo-Boo said, shivering a little. Then he turned to Robyn. "Thanks for saving me, Ranger Robyn."

"You're welcome, Boo-Boo," Robyn said. "But how did you fall into the river anyway?"

"Yogi was taking picnic baskets again," Boo-Boo explained. "One of the other rangers caught him, and we started running. The riverbank was a little slippery from last night's rain, and I slipped and fell in the river."

"Yogiiiiii," Ranger Smith said, giving Yogi a glare.

"Hee, hee," Yogi said, shrugging and smiling sheepishly. Ranger Smith sighed, and turned to Robyn.

"I don't think I've ever seen swimming like that before," he said.

"Oh it was nothing," Robyn said. "I was on my high school's swim team. I still have the gold medal I won. I also have a life saving certificate. It's funny, my parents thought for sure I'd become a lifeguard. Well, I guess I'd better be going."

"Hold it," Ranger Smith said, grabbing her arm. "I can tell you don't really want to resign. You love it here. Where did you get a crazy idea to quit?"

"I think you'd better tell him, Robyn," Karen said. "Trust me. He'll understand."

"All right," Robyn said with a sigh. "Here it goes. See, last night, when you asked me if I had any plans, and when you asked me to meet you at the ranger station at six . . . . I thought you were asking me out, and then when Karen walked in, and . . . . well . . . ."

"Oh," Ranger Smith said, nodding. "I see."

"And . . . . well, I just don't think I can take it, working here knowing you'll never like me the way I like you."

"Mr. Ranger, please don't let Ranger Robyn leave," Boo-Boo said.

"Well, Robyn," Ranger Smith said, but he really couldn't think of anything to say. It was a bit of an awkward moment. "Like I said before, I'd really hate to see you go, and I know Yogi and Boo-Boo feel the same way."

"I'd hate to see you leave, too," Karen said.

"Come on, Ranger Robyn," Yogi said. "Stick around. We barely got to know you!"

"Please?" Boo-Boo asked.

"Well . . . ." Robyn said, thinking it over. "Okay. I'll stick around."

Everyone cheered, and headed for the nurse's station, so Karen could look over Boo-Boo and make sure he was going to be all right.

"Ranger Smith," Robyn said as they were walking. "I know you and I will never be romantically involved, but I think I'd still like to be friends."

"I'd like that, too, Robyn," Ranger Smith said, and the two of them shook on it. Karen smiled. She had a feeling it was just the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The End


End file.
